The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr. Announces New Album by Sharing Eight New Singles

The other half of Melodies on Hiatus, the guitarist’s fifth solo album, is out June 23 via Red Bull Records.

The StrokesAlbert Hammond Jr. Announces New Album by Sharing Eight New Singles

The other half of Melodies on Hiatus, the guitarist’s fifth solo album, is out June 23 via Red Bull Records.

Words: Margaret Farrell

Photo: Scottie Cameron

May 09, 2023

Today, Albert Hammond Jr.—whose name you may know as a co-founding member of The Strokes—announced a new solo album called Melodies on Hiatus by sharing not one but eight new singles from the project, along with a visual for the track "Old Man" that was directed by collaborators Angela Ricciardi and Silken Weinberg. These eight tracks follow the GoldLink-featuring lead single "100-99" released last month, and Melodies on Hiatus is out in full on June 23 via Red Bull Records.

“‘Old Man’ is a song about the passage of time and the realizations that come with it,” Hammond Jr. explained of the new batch of song's focus track. “Musically, it came to me the quickest of any song on the record. Even Colin [Killalea]’s intro was one take. He didn’t even know what he was gonna play. He just played that and could never top it. Was an incredible moment to be a part of.”

He added about the album: “I'm going through changes and these songs reflect behaviors and moments of mine that—as time has gone on—have taken shape and become universal. I get asked about the meaning or big picture of this album, but it’s just that writing songs and creating is who I am and feels like why I exist. My goal is to have my music be part of someone's life, part of their fabric, and this feels like the best collection of music I've made and my best attempt at achieving that.”

Watch the video for "Old Man" below, and stream the rest of the new tracks here. You can also pre-order Melodies on Hiatus here.